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Powerful Winter Storm Slamming The Northeastern U.S.; Violence Erupts Across Mexico After Death Of "El Mencho"; Trump Raises Newly Announced Global Tariffs From 10 Percent To 15 Percent; Democrats Demand New Restrictions On ICE & Border Patrol. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 23, 2026 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:27]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, and of course, all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

It is now 4:00 a.m. across the Northeastern U.S., where a strengthening winter storm is slamming the region with heavy snow and gusty winds and has now officially become a bomb cyclone. More than a foot of snow has fallen in some parts of the New York metro area, and radar is showing intense snow bands lashing New York City and Philadelphia, with another band heading toward Boston next. Some heavy bands could dump up to two inches of snow per hour.

Power outages have jumped to more than 215,000 as snow and strong winds knocked down trees and power lines. Conditions on the road also deteriorating overnight with leaders in several states urging residents to stay home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKIE SHERRILL, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: This is likely to be the worst storm that we have seen since 1996. There is a 90 percent likelihood of the whole state getting a foot of snow or more. It will be incredibly dangerous to not travel tonight. It's time to stay home.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK MAYOR: We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel. Please, for your safety, stay home. Stay inside and stay off the roads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And that plea coming amid scenes like this, a plow truck overturned on a snow covered highway in New York Sunday. A hazmat team was called in to clean the diesel fuel spill left behind. And travel conditions are rapidly deteriorating across the northeast as this powerful storm ramps up and air travel has been hit hard. More than 5,000 flights have been canceled for Monday. That is according to flight aware, and that's on top of nearly 4,000 cancellations on Sunday. The storm is impacting all major airports in New York Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Chris Gloninger is a meteorologist and climate scientist. He joins me from Centerville, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, right in the heart of the blizzard warning zone.

Unbelievable. Thank you so much for talking with us you are right there in the middle of everything. What are you seeing?

CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST AND CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Rosemary, these are the most intense snowfall rates that we've seen so far this event. It kicked off around 10:00 last night, and now things are going at about one to two, even three inches per hour. This part of Massachusetts, a lot of people don't realize, even though it's very urban, there's a lot of pine trees. In fact, a pine forest in southeastern mass. So, I want to show you already, with the amount of snow that we've seen, we've had some pretty large branches start to come off.

The utility company here, Eversource, let homeowners know that power could be out for three to five days. Extensive power outages are expected because of the weight of the snow and just another perspective of that. You can see perfect snowball making weather.

But this is also heart attack snow, Rosemary, when you're shoveling it, a simple shovel full of snow could weigh 30 pounds. If you're elderly, have cardiovascular related issues. This is not the snow you want to shovel.

CHURCH: That is a very important warning to people. And we've had our expert doctor on talking about that very point.

But, Chris, of course, the kids are really happy. As you say, older people have to be very careful. How bad do you expect it to get in the coming hours?

GLONINGER: The worst conditions across southeastern Massachusetts. Now that the winds are picking up, will, I think, be from 5:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which means we'll see one to three- inch per hour snowfall rates over the course of that time period.

On top of that, we've seen winds increasing. I don't know if you can tell or can hear the wind in this live shot, but you can tell by how the snow is falling. It's all very random and chaotic, and that is because of the strong winds that are already blowing. Wind gusts could go to 70 miles per hour.

So, we have heavy snow, high winds, and coastal flooding. Already, Boston Harbor reporting minor coastal flooding and the same thing on the island of Nantucket. You add in 20-foot waves for the next round of high tides. We could see additional flooding problems along the coastline here.

CHURCH: And, of course, we've heard from a lot of the officials saying to people stay home, don't get on the roads.

[04:05:05] A lot of times people think it's exaggerated and it will be fine. What do you say to those people who want to get out there in the midst of this historic weather event?

GLONINGER: Well, Rosemary, stay home, watch CNN, because this is the kind of event where even if you're a hearty New Englander, this is an event that's going to be historic. The National Weather Service, in their forecast discussion, said that this storm has the potential of being historic and destructive with the tree damage, so you don't even know what you're driving over. And to put it into perspective, when a snowplow moves through on the highway even a convoy of plows, Rosemary, this kind of snow will cover the roadways within 15 minutes so they're keeping up for first responders. Anyone else really should not be on the roads for the duration of this event.

And what's pretty fascinating, one last point is these storms are not new to New England. But as our planet continues to warm, it holds more moisture. So, these storms, even though they may have happened 100 years ago, are now producing even more snowfall totals like we're seeing with this event right here. We may end up with 20 to 30 inches when all is said and done by this afternoon.

CHURCH: That is a very important point. And of course, you mentioned the snowplows. How do they keep up with this volume of snow?

GLONINGER: What's fascinating is this part of Massachusetts averages about 25 inches per year. Up in Boston, it's 50 inches -- a big range here. So private contractors oftentimes help out. So, your landscapers during the summer are putting plows in their trucks during the winter months.

And this has been a brutal winter for them. About the third major winter storm that we have seen. So, for them, it's very difficult.

Just to put it in perspective, not a main road that I live on here in Centerville, but a side road that remains snow covered for a week and a half. That is almost unheard of, Rosemary, in this part of Massachusetts, even during the winter.

CHURCH: It is time for you to go and get warm. Chris Gloninger, thank you so much for talking with us --

GLONINGER: Thank you.

CHURCH: -- and reporting for us in the overnight hours. Really appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, let's get more now on the winter storm from CNN's Gloria Pazmino, who is in New York City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a travel ban in effect here in New York City that will not lift until noon on Monday. The mayor of the city of New York, Zohran Mamdani, asking New Yorkers to stay off the roads. Not only will it be dangerous into the later evening hours, but he is also asking people to stay off the roads so that emergency workers and sanitation workers who are in charge of the cleanup can get to work.

Also, importantly, going into Monday morning, the mayor announced that the city's schools will be closed and students will have a full snow day. That means no remote learning, which is what they had to do less than a month ago when we had the last storm. So that is certainly very good news for New York City kids who will be able to enjoy the snow.

Going into the evening, conditions are expected to significantly deteriorate. The snow has started to pile up here in Central Park. The wind is picking up, and it is very cold. That means its very dangerous to be outside for extended periods of time. The city increasing resources and outreach to make sure that vulnerable homeless New Yorkers can be brought into shelter.

Now we are -- you know, here in New York, a lot of people are very much over winter kind of done with the snow. But there are also some who were out here willing to enjoy it. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am so ready to be done. It's not even funny. You know, with our first snowstorm that happened a few weeks ago, my flight to Mexico got completely canceled so I've had enough. You know, now that they're labeling this as, like, a true blizzard. I don't even know what to expect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just headed to the gym. I'm not thinking about the cold too much. I love the snow, too. So beautiful to be outside today.

PAZMINO: Now, the city has deployed more than 2,000 pieces of equipment to clean up the snow, 2,600 sanitation workers who are working 12-hour shifts to help with the cleanup. They've also opened up warming centers and deployed warming buses for those vulnerable New Yorkers. And the travel ban is expected to lift at noon on Monday when much of the cleanup will begin.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says a partial government shutdown and the major winter storm won't stop travel for active federal disaster response.

FEMA, a Homeland Security agency, was hit by the shutdown after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. Democrats are demanding oversight of federal immigration officers after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis.

[04:10:03]

Well, violence has erupted across Mexico following the killing of the country's most wanted drug leader, known as "El Mencho", in a military operation on Sunday. And you can see fires raging in this resort town on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Earlier, an American tourist stranded in Puerto Vallarta described

the, quote, scary scene there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BECK, AMERICAN TOURIST: Yeah, it's crazy. We've been stuck here at the hotel all day, started off our morning with taxis being blown up and buses being blown up and flames and fire everywhere and smoke. So, yeah, pretty crazy. And then they put us in shelter in place at the hotels. And so, we've been out on the rooftop kind of watching all the activities all day long and we're still locked in.

You know, it was really scary. Weve been coming down here for almost 20 years, and we've always told people to come down and check it out, because you always feel safe here. We've never, ever not felt safe. And today was the first day as we left the hotel to go have breakfast and saw all the craziness going on and the violence and the smoke that we were terrified.

And we saw the people running down the streets running from the flames and stuff and the fire, and we ran back to the hotel and then that's when they got the shelter in place. And we've been here all day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Fear turned to panic at an international airport in southwest Mexico after several airlines, including Air Canada and United Airlines, canceled flights. In some towns, tourists and residents have been urged to stay indoors, officials say suspected members of organized crime groups unleashed the wave of violence after the death of El Mencho. He was a former police officer who led the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel.

CNN's Valeria Leon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fire, smoke and chaos across several Mexican states, cities brought to a standstill as criminal groups retaliate after Mexico's most wanted drug leader died following a military operation Sunday, blocked highways, drivers forced out of their cars at gunpoint, trucks and buses set on fire.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a former police officer, known to most as El Mencho, was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, wounded during a Mexican military operation and later died while being transported to Mexico City. The U.S. played a role in Sunday's operation, according to U.S. defense officials, though it's unclear to what extent.

As fear spread, many Mexicans spoke out, calling for an end to the violence.

EUTILBERTO ROJAS, SINALOA RESIDENT: People are aware of this violence, and what they want is peace, to live in harmony and justice, not in war. LEON (voice-over): Blockades were reported across various estates and

classes were suspended in at least three states as officials try to contain the violence and keep civilians off the streets.

CAROLINA GUTIERREZ, SINALOA RESIDENT: I'm tired of seeing this continue every single day.

LEON (voice-over): Under El Mencho's command, the cartel expanded rapidly, challenging rivals like the Sinaloa cartel for control of territory and trafficking routes, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.

El Mencho managed to avoid capture for years. His detention and death is one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years, and the first high profile operation under President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The fall of El Mencho may mark a major security milestone, but with tourism, foreign investment and security for the 2026 World Cup at stake, the world is watching how Mexico handles what comes next.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, President Trump announces plans for new temporary global tariffs. We will tell you how other countries are reacting to the news after Friday's major Supreme Court ruling on the president's tariff policy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:17:54]

CHURCH: Looking at live pictures from New York as we track a major winter storm in Northeastern United States. More than 40 million people are under blizzard warnings along the East Coast from Delaware up to Maine.

The Storm Prediction Center warns that blizzard conditions will ramp up in the coming hours, particularly near the coast. In fact, radar shows intense bands of snow rolling back and forth over New York City and Philadelphia, with another band headed for Boston.

All right. Now for a check of the U.S. futures. And just a few hours ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street, you can see all in positive territory right now, at least it will be the first day of trading after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump's emergency tariffs last week.

Now, in the coming hours, E,U. lawmakers will meet to discuss whether to suspend work on a trade deal with the U.S.

In the wake of that Supreme Court ruling over the weekend, the Trump administration quickly announced brand new global tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The White House says it gives the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 15 percent, but only for 150 days before congressional approval is needed.

Well, Beijing is also keeping tabs on the U.S. tariff ruling and how it could impact China's interests.

Our Mike Valerio has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some of the first takes from commenters across China certainly seems to convey that from their point of view, D.C.'s hand has absolutely been weakened by these tariffs being taken away by the Supreme Court. The White House is certainly trying to counter that train of thought.

But notably, we have a prominent political pundit, Hu Xijin, writing the following over the weekend. He wrote, quote, "Trump has one less card to play, while China holds all the cards."

And digging a little deeper into that, what essentially, he was trying to get with that statement, get to with that statement is that while this primary tool issuing these sweeping tariffs has certainly been limited by the United States Supreme Court, China's main Trump card of access to a whole suite of rare earth minerals, that is still maintained by Beijing without any kind of restrictions.

[04:20:21]

So, the main question that Beijing now is confronting or is confronted by is whether or not the United States is going to try to levy new tariffs in a different way towards China. And what we mean by that is the possibility of U.S. trade authorities saying that a certain Chinese company or Chinese sector could be in potential violation of trade rules and then able to be hit legally with a new set of tariffs by the United States.

So, to that end, let's listen to what the White House says about that part of the equation.

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: We try to resolve the unfair practices we identify. And if they're not resolved, you can take actions like tariffs or other things to try to resolve them. We have tariffs like this already in place on China. We have open investigations already.

VALERIO: Now important to keep in mind is that the United States may not want to rock the boat, so to speak, because President Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping are due to meet here in this town in Beijing in just over a month, with the president landing here on March 31st and meetings with Xi that have to deal with the trade truce happening on April 1st and April 2nd. The last time they met was October of last year in South Korea, hammering out that trade truce.

And speaking of South Korea and Japan for that matter, both of those nations are neighbors here in the region, have trade deals with the United States that were hammered out, under the threat of that trade cudgel of those tariffs. So, the question also arises, what's going to happen to those trade deals with South Korea and Japan? Even though the Supreme Court has said the authority under which the White House acted to launch those tariffs, the White House was not able to use that authority legally in that sense.

So far, the White House and administration officials are saying these trade deals with South Korea and Japan remain in place, and we have not heard from Tokyo or Seoul that either capital is willing to renegotiate their trade deals, at least at the moment.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The House and Senate are postponing their first vote series to Tuesday. That is, according to Republican sources. The decision comes as a major winter storm hits the Northeast, causing flight cancellations and delays.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reversed its decision to suspend TSA's pre-check program. The announcement comes as the DHS carries on operating without funding.

Camila DeChalus has the latest from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, at this point in time, there's still no deal that has been reached, in order to end this partial government shutdown. We're still hearing that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are working behind the scenes in order to try to strike some type of deal, that both parties can move forward and pass in order to fund the department of homeland security. But those details are still being ironed out.

Now, we know that this really started the partial government shutdown, when a few hours before funding for the Department of Homeland Security was going to lapse, Democrats put out their list of reforms that they wanted to see made to several departments and agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.

And Republicans basically responded to it, saying that it was a nonstarter. And they said that it just -- this list went on too long, and they said that they would only respond and really put out a list of their own concessions that they were willing to make. But Democrats took a look at it and said that it simply was not enough. And so, they sent a counterproposal back to Republicans in the White House.

And at this point in time, we know that that counterproposal was sent on Monday night and they still haven't heard anything from them yet. And Republican leaders haven't really vocally responded as of that date. And so, this is where things stand.

Now in the week upcoming, we know that President Trump is expected to make several remarks at his State of the Union Address to members of Congress, and they're hoping that he's going to address the elephant in the room. And that is that this partial government shutdown is still continuing, and that both sides still have not found any common ground.

But we're hearing that those details are still working out. Democrats want to see the Trump administration, especially these federal agencies held accountable, and they don't like seeing what immigration enforcement actions have taken place in this country. So, they want to see something that change.

And Republicans on their end, they're saying they're willing to make some concessions, but not given to all the demands that Democrats are making. And so that is something that we are actively monitoring in real time. But we know that the date of February 27th, when it comes to the hundreds and thousands of federal employees under this department, they're going to start feeling the financial impact of this partial government shutdown.

[04:25:00]

And that is something that we're hearing from both sides, both Democrats and Republicans, that they want to avoid them, employees just feeling the financial impact of it. And so, they know that they need to make a deal soon.

Camila DeChalus, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We continue to track this dangerous winter storm as it slams the U.S. eastern coast. Just ahead, we will hear from a medical expert about heart attack snow and what you need to know before you grab that snow shovel.

Plus, new information about a man who was shot and killed on the grounds of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. We'll have the latest on the FBI investigation. Back with that and more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

More than 40 million Americans are under blizzard warnings and coastal flood alerts, and more than 215,000 households are without power.

[04:30:01]

Snowfall is ramping up, with the heaviest bands potentially dumping up to three inches per hour tonight.

The Storm Prediction Center says prolonged whiteouts are expected as wind gusts could reach 40 to 70 miles per hour. Parts of New Jersey have already seen more than half a foot of snow. And for the first time in 30 years, the entire state is under a blizzard warning. Forecasters say some areas could see more than a foot overnight.

And here's a look at this massive storm from space. It's just hit bomb cyclone status, meaning the storm has rapidly strengthened. And that means heavier bands of snow and even stronger winds ahead.

Well, journalist Jonathan Petramala has been keeping track of this storm. He joins me now from Brant Rock in Massachusetts.

Jonathan, you're out there right in the middle of this storm. What are you seeing?

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, JOURNALIST: Good morning.

Well, here in southeastern Massachusetts, we're just south and east of Boston. Brant Rock, as you mentioned, is really starting to intensify this powerful bomb cyclone nor'easter. And what it means here in this part of the state, massive waves crashing into homes that sit right along the coast damaging waves, damaging winds as well. You get to certain aspects of this storm, and it looks like a hurricane. And then you drive a little bit further inland and it's a blizzard.

So, a very significant storm hitting the northeastern United States.

CHURCH: So, of course, my next question was going to be how accurate you think the forecast has been so far, given some people do tend to question how reliable weather forecasts can be. It sounds like it's pretty spot on.

PETRAMALA: So far, it is. And especially here in this part of the country, southeastern Massachusetts its taken a little bit longer for the storm to hit here. It slowed down a little bit, but it's absolutely intense.

And I don't anticipate this forecast being a bust. It really does look like the winds are matching what they were talking about. You know reaching that blizzard like status 40, 50 miles per hour gusting above that even to hurricane strength at times. And these waves that are crashing here in Brant Rock in the southeastern Massachusetts coast are really, really impressively large.

CHURCH: And how prepared do you think many cities, and of course, states are for this storm.

PETRAMALA: This is a part of the country that has a long history. Of course, with storms like this. But the storm of this magnitude, it's been several years. We were just talking. It's probably been about four years for us since the last time we were in this part of the country for a significant nor'easter. But of the extent that this has the potential to reach, it's been about a decade.

So, they did see a top 10 snowstorm here in Boston last month, over 20 inches of snow fell. But that was a different kind of snow. It was a dry snow it had that champagne powder like you would expect to see on a ski resort in the western United States like Vail or Park City, Utah.

This is a lot different. The snow is wet, it's heavy and you have a very powerful winds that you can kind of hear the waves crashing against our car you might be able to hear some of that smacking. And so, that's going to cause some significant power outages most likely. And so, people are going to have to deal with that for the next couple

of days or even longer depending exactly how powerful this cyclone, and the exact track it decides to take. But it's going to be a much different storm than this area has seen in several years.

CHURCH: Yeah, of course, we can hear those waves. So, Jonathan, how quickly is the situation changing and how much worse do you expect this to get, particularly where you are there?

PETRAMALA: We're just at the very, very beginning of the storm here in southeastern Massachusetts. So, if you're watching this and you're in this part of the country, you're just now getting the initial brunt of this if this is a baseball game, this is like the first inning. And so, this is going to extend through at least midday, the most powerful impacts in this part of the country.

And you're going to be getting heavier and heavier snow that three -- three-inch per hour, two to three-inch per hour snowfall rate is absolutely something that we're going to be able to see. You're going to add into that those very powerful winds and it's shaking the car.

I'm not -- we're not driving -- we're parked right now but you might be able to see my computer as I'm holding it in my hand shaking. That's because the wind and the waves that are crashing against us are shaking the car. And this isn't like the ocean is right next to us in terms of we're on level with it. The ocean is about 20 feet below us, where we're sitting here in Brant Rock and it hits this massive seawall and these waves crash over where we are on the on this road and into homes as well.

So, I mean, this is a very, very powerful system. We're just seeing the very beginning of it it's still going to deepen. It's still going to strengthen.

[04:35:00]

And as it -- as it creeps along it's path, it's going to cause some significant impacts.

CHURCH: Yeah. You know, Jonathan, I did think you were moving for a while there in the early stages of your report because there was so much movement. But you are sitting there in the car, we can hear the roar of those waves near the car, too.

So do take care, Jonathan Petramala, thank you so much for checking in. Appreciate it.

Well, earlier we heard from Christina Farrell, the chief of New York City's emergency management division, and she explained why the mayor announced a travel ban during the storm and talked about the plans to get the snow off the roads, once the worst of the storm is over. Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINA FARRELL, COMMISSIONER, NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION: It's first and foremost public safety. I know we have seen a few accidents in the last hour around the city, as the snow intensifies. You know, also, first responders, they don't get to stay off the roads, right? They have to keep responding to 911 calls emergencies. We don't want those emergencies to be traffic pileups and things like that. And we want the emergency workers to be able to go where they're going.

And then the second, this is going to be a very big job for the city's Department of Sanitation. They're ready. They have plows. We have two inches so we can start to plow. But, you know, the less cars on the road, the easier it is for them to get the roads clear.

The sanitation department, you know, they have 2,600 workers on split shift which means 12-hour shifts. And then the next shift comes in and so on and so on. They are out in force. They'll be out all night, all day tomorrow you know, just running over the roads, over and over.

Also, our Transportation Department, the parks department, the -- all of the agencies are out there working the schools will be working. So, kids go back, you know, later this week, and we're coordinating all of that, looking at where there may be issues, where people need help.

And we're also bringing in paid snow laborers starting tonight. And they will be working on bus shelters, sidewalks, you know, things for pedestrians. So, we can also clear all of those areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: As the storm rages across the Northeast, a lot of people will be shoveling snow in the coming days, and, of course, hours. This storm is dumping heavy, wet snow, and that can be particularly dangerous. It's called heart attack snow because cleaning it up puts a massive strain on the body, specifically the heart.

CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: If you have a history of heart disease, or if you have hypertension or diabetes, or basically if you're over 50 and just out of shape, don't -- don't shovel snow. Pay the kid down the street to do it. Support your neighborhood economy. Pay somebody else to do it.

Shoveling snow is an enormous amount of exercise. It's both aerobic exercise and isotonic exercise, and you're doing it basically not in refrigerator like rocket. You're doing it in a freezer. And those very low temperatures basically create a situation where your arteries constrict in the periphery, which raises your blood pressure and the arteries around your heart constrict. And that sort of decreases the supply to your heart.

And you create this supply demand mismatch and if you are at risk of heart disease or you've had a stent in the past or a heart attack or bypass surgery, you can provoke an acute coronary event like a heart attack. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH : The FBI is investigating after an armed man was shot and killed on the property of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The Secret Service says the man entered the secure perimeter early Sunday morning. He was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, according to the local sheriff, and was quickly confronted by law enforcement.

Authorities say the man, quote, raised the shotgun to a shooting position when ordered to drop what he was carrying. Secret Service and a sheriff's deputy opened fire, killing the man. Neither the president nor the first lady were there at the time.

Iranian students launched a new round of protests as Tehran faces mounting pressure from the U.S. to curb its nuclear program, protesters held a march at a university campus in Tehran in honor of students killed during the anti-government protests a few weeks ago. Demonstrators could be heard chanting, quote, "We swear by the blood of our friends, we will stand until the end".

Meanwhile, the U.S. special envoy told Fox News that President Trump is wondering why a deal still has not happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: He's curious as to why they haven't -- I don't want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven't capitulated. Why? Why, under this sort of pressure, with the amount of sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven't come to us and said, we profess that we don't want to -- we don't want a weapon, so here's what were prepared to do.

[04:40:07]

And yet it's hard to sort of get them to that place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iranian and U.S. officials expect a third round of talks will take place in Geneva on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister says he's optimistic that a diplomatic solution will be reached on Tehran's nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: And I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal. This is my understanding I see it quite possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says Congress has no idea what President Trump is intending to do in Iran. Congressman Gregory Meeks told MS NOW that President Trump has not come to congress at all.

Now, this comes as the president debates military action in Iran. Former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark, walks us through the massive collection of U.S. weapons systems in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: It's a full scramble. And so, you have the two aircraft carriers. So, you have off of those aircraft carriers, maybe 180 aircraft. Then you have several other squadrons of fighters.

You have the availability of the B-2s that can deploy. We had seven that deployed in June. We could put more B-2s in there. At this point, you have the tanker fleet there to support them. You have airborne command and control and the AWACS system to support continuous presence overhead.

Still, it's a big country. And you have probably a limited number of special operations forces. They could go in. They could be inserted on top of a suspected or nuclear site. They could blow open the doors, let's say. They could hold a limited perimeter for a period of time. And be supported by the forces that are there.

So, it is something that we haven't seen before. This scale of build, it's large, it's big. And don't forget, Israel probably would be engaged in this also. So they've got another several hundred attack aircraft that could be deployed against Iran with appropriate air to air refueling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Several California communities are trying to recover after the Eaton Fire devastated the area last year.

Coming up, what the victims are hoping to learn from a new investigation into the deadly blaze.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:47:05]

CHURCH: A major winter storm is slamming the northeastern U.S. with heavy snow and gusty winds. This is a live look from above the Statue of Liberty in New York City, courtesy of EarthCam, where they are expecting between 12 to 18 inches of snow.

Meanwhile, more than 40 million people are under blizzard warnings across 11 states at least 215,000 utility customers are without power in the Mid-Atlantic states. That number is expected to rise as power companies are unable in some areas to begin repairing damaged lines. And here's a look at this massive and dangerous storm from space, as it officially reaches bomb cyclone status, which means it has rapidly strengthened.

California authorities have launched a civil rights investigation into the response to the deadly Eaton Fire. The 2025 fire killed 19 people, 18 of the victims were from West Altadena, a historically black neighborhood. Investigators wanted to know if discrimination played a role in the emergency response.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: You got a whole community burned down that needs to be investigated. What happened? What started it, and why did it expand? And why did some folk get noticed seven hours before other folks got noticed?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): February 2025, families were just beginning to mourn those who died in the Eaton Fire. But questions about delayed emergency alerts and evacuations in historically Black West Altadena were already swirling

ZAIRE CALVIN, ALTADENA RESIDENT: This is my lot that I bought after college, yeah. This is where my house, and my mother, this is a childhood home.

JONES (voice-over): Zaire Calvin lost his sister, Evelyn.

CALVIN: It's where my cousin came and that's where he found her.

JONES (voice-over): He says the pain of her loss is made worse by the feeling that during one of the deadliest fires in California history, his community was left to fend for itself.

CALVIN: We were left alone to fight for ourselves. Our community was left to, you know, get itself saved, rescued ourselves.

JONES (voice-over): Residents reported the late emergency alerts, a lack of firefighters and engines, and no one going door to door warning them to evacuate. The Los Angeles County Fire Department says it made every effort to quickly bring in fire resources from across the state, but was overwhelmed and outpaced by the speed and unpredictability of the fire.

More than a year later, the state is investigating whether there was potential discrimination in the emergency response in West Altadena.

ROB BONTA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: There was indisputably a delayed emergency notification and evacuation of West Altadena.

[05:50:06]

We're here to ask why.

JONES (voice-over): L.A. County officials said agencies have fully cooperated in all independent review so far, and that none have found any discriminatory or structural bias in the county's response, adding that they will fully cooperate with the investigation and that they believe the attorney general will find that emergency responders did the best they could under unprecedented and extreme conditions as they fought to save lives, homes and businesses.

CALVIN: How do you not see a certain level of discrimination? Because there was a lack of help. So, if you didn't have anything in place or you weren't worried about making sure that there was something in place to make sure the community is okay, how is that not discrimination?

JONES (voice-over): Calvin says West Altadena has long operated with fewer resources than other parts of town. He says that's why he coaches to give back to the community that raised him, and to be a source of normalcy for these kids who are navigating loss and displacement, while much of their town is still leveled foundations on otherwise empty lots.

JONES: How many of these are Black families?

CALVIN: There's Steve, and then Black, then Black, and then white next door, and then Black, Black. Then there's Fair Oaks Burger.

JONES (voice-over): Fair Oaks is a longtime neighborhood staple. Here, Calvin and his neighbor Randy say you can still feel what this community was built on. Black families fight for home ownership, like in the 1960s when the construction of a highway displaced thousands of residents. They remember.

CALVIN: It's always -- it's always a fight, especially with us.

RANDY VANCE, ALTADENA RESIDENT: It's been a fight for land since they made everybody move from Pasadena to Altadena to like build a freeway, and we're always the ones that have to suffer from it.

CALVIN: And you know, as Black people, we always get marginalized. And we work so hard to be here. And our families worked hard and generationally, every single day, hard work and being there and being part of the neighborhood and the community and being involved.

JONES (voice-over): Calvin calls the investigation historic, but says that what matters most is whether it leads to restoration.

CALVIN: When you go into this, are you really going to make sure that there's an outcome that helps the community?

JONES: What would that look like?

CALVIN: Money, finances, building back, making history period just to build back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: And it's striking here in Altadena how many of these lots are still empty? Only one fifth of the burnt out homes has received a permit from the county to start the rebuilding process. But the vast majority of them, we can see, has not yet started.

Now, residents say that there was an original rush, a wave of sales of property sales here. But now that has died down. So even the people who do want to sell their property are having a hard time doing that.

But this community is trying to convince all of the residents to not sell, to stay together and build back as they were before the Eaton Fire, but that is a whole other fight. That's the fight of trying to get money from insurance. And some of them are still suing southern California Edison, the utility company that they say had a role in the beginning of the fire. And that investigation is also still ongoing.

So, this is a rebuilding process that could take so many months, if not years.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Altadena, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The Olympic flame has now been extinguished, and the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina have bid farewell to the 2026 Winter Games. The grand finale of Sunday's closing ceremony illuminated the historic Verona Arena. Thousands gathered to celebrate the unity among athletes and nations.

Norway was the clear leader in this year's medal count, with 18 golds. The U.S. came in second with 12 gold medals, marking the country's most successful Winter Games ever. And the Netherlands and host country Italy each finished with ten golds. The last gold medal for the U.S. came in a hard fought overtime win with its fierce rival Canada in the men's hockey final.

Well, following their Olympic gold win, President Trump is now inviting the U.S. men's hockey team to his upcoming State of the Union Address on Tuesday. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel was seen celebrating the victory in Team USA's locker room on Sunday. In video obtained by CNN, Patel appears to chug a beer before spraying the bottle into the air as the team cheers.

[04:55:00]

According to the FBI, the director was in Italy for multiple official engagements, including a visit to the Milan joint operations center.

A K-Pop superstar group is giving a free concert in South Korea, and thousands of tickets are up for grabs. BTS returns for their first performance in three years next month in Seoul, and 12,000 tickets are available to the public. Another 3,000 tickets are being reserved for members of the BTS Army. That is the group's official fan base.

BTS will perform live on March 21st. Their show will be streamed on Netflix.

I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Audie Cornish picks up our coverage with "EARLY START" after the break.